8 thoughts after taking the weekend to process Detroit Lions' draft haul
Allen Park — Here are some of my thoughts after taking a some time to process the Detroit Lions’ haul in the 2026 NFL draft.
Revisiting Miller vs. Monroe
For all the curveballs general manager Brad Holmes has thrown in the draft during his tenure, it was difficult to envision the Lions going a different direction than offensive tackle in the first round this year.
Not only was it the team’s biggest need, but the depth at the top of the draft aligned to appropriately fill the void. Sure, there were alternatives to consider, headlined by edge rusher, but had the team passed over taking a tackle in the first round, the franchise would have likely been boxed into a corner, needing to fill the hole next offseason. And if the Lions are as successful as they hope to be, with what looks to be a thinner crop of tackles in 2027, they were staring down the possibility of needing to pay a premium, trading up in the first round, to solve that lingering concern.
Of the tackles in this class, it boiled down to two after watching the film. “Of the six, I feel like Freeling and Miller are the best options for Detroit,” I wrote last Monday.
When we conducted a group mock on the podcast on Wednesday, both were on the board and I advocated for Freeling. I felt his pass protection was superior, the football character met Detroit’s thresholds, and I was comfortable leaving Penei Sewell at right tackle.
But before we advanced to the second round, I paused the process to ask the group, if Holmes is faced with this same decision on Thursday, would any of you be surprised if the Lions select Miller? The shared opinion was decidedly, “Not at all.”